Destiny
by HanaHeart
Summary: They were separated by wall of blood and hate. A prince seeking a forbidden past, a slave seeking a prophesied future…their lives are forever tied in a way that none can imagine by the strange cycle of destiny…SenRu chpt 3 is up
1. Prologue

Destiny

Author: HanaHeart

Pairing: SenRu and others

Beta: Mikawa

Summery: They were separated by wall of blood and hate. A prince seeking a forbidden past, a slave seeking a prophesied future…their lives are forever tied in a way that none can imagine by the strange cycle of destiny…

Timeline: AU in an unlimited time (Greek culture mixed with modern technology)

: Well, this is a re-written version of Winged Hearts…I didn't like the title much so I changed it. Anyway, there have been some changes in the events of the story…but the main plot of the fic remains and my sucking grammar mistakes too, I'm afraid!

Anyway, hope you like it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, none of SD boys is mine…I'm just playing with them.

Chapter: Prologue

In the great empire of Kanagawa lived two kinds of people; one kind with large white wings, while the other kind was without. The winged people were the rulers of the land, and members of nobility, while the non-winged were their slaves.

The winged people lived soft and plush life under the rule of the Sendoh family. Their life was too perfect to be true, filled with happiness and joy. Nothing could ever trouble its ideality.

On the other hand, the non-winged were forced to work in dark crystal mines as animals, citizens of an inconceivable lower class, barely human in the eyes of their masters. Their life was perfect proof of misery and sufferance as they were debarred from their natural rights as citizens of the empire, as well as humans. But as the days pass in pain and tears, they learned how to struggle to survive. Through these harsh circumstances, the fate of two youths entwined together with unbreakable bond that would change the balance of forces in the entire empire.

One of the youths was a winged young prince…while the other was a non-winged slave.

T.B.C.

A/N: Read and Review, please 66


	2. Chaper One

Destiny

Author: HanaHeart

Beta: Mikawa

Fic Information & Disclaimer: See the Prologue

Chapter One

The warm sun filled the gardens with its golden rays, as if it was smiling warmly down at them, and the cool breeze of the morning caressed the green grass, the flowers, and the trees alike, with softness and gentleness. It was another peaceful and beautiful summer day in Ryonan, the capital of Kanagawa Empire.

Prince Sendoh Akira stretched his hands and inhaled the fresh morning breeze, as he stood out his balcony, enjoying the view of the palace garden.

"What a beautiful day," he said, smiling to himself before turning to his companion. "It's a good day for a horse-ride, don't you think, Hiroaki?"

"I suppose." Koshino said, yawning. "It's better than staying here and doing nothing. Where to?"

"I don't know yet." Sendoh said with a shrug. "Go and tell the servants to prepare the horses, while I think of a good place."

"Ok," with that Koshino left the room.

Sendoh turned his gaze to the horizon, enjoying the sight of the blue sky.

Suddenly, his gaze caught the sight of a big, dark mountain, a few kilometers away from the palace. His usual smiling face turned into thoughtful frown. For many years now, that mountain has attracted the young prince's interest. That mountain was the place where the non-winged slaves would work, every day, in the crystal mines.

/What's happening there right now/ Sendoh wondered. /I wish I could go and see how the slaves' lives are like. Their lives must be so hard. /

Sendoh recalled when he was just a young boy. He and Koshino used to hide behind some trees and watch the guards drag a long row of chained slaves from the mountain to the concentration camps at the end of the day. An idea started to form in the prince's mind.

At this minute, Koshino entered the room.

"The horses have been settled, Akira." Koshino said. "Shall we go now?"

Sendoh turned his face to his friend and stared at him oddly before speaking.

"Hiro, I've changed my mind." He said quietly. "I don't want to go riding anymore. I want to do something else."

"Something else? What?" Koshino asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Come, I'll tell you later." With that, Sendoh left the room followed by Koshino. The two walked along the corridors of the palace until they reached the Imperial Library.

"The library?" Koshino asked in amusement. "You wanted to come to the library? Boy, the sky must be falling!"

Sendoh rolled his eyes in annoyance, but said nothing. He pushed the huge wooden door of the library and entered with Koshino.

"Aida, my friend," Sendoh exclaimed, flashing the young librarian a sweet smile. "How are you doing?"

Aida, who was buried behind a mountain of books, jumped from his seat and appeared from behind his desk.

"I'm fine your highness." he replied nervously, bowing to his prince. "How may I serve you?"

"I need some maps, Aida." Sendoh said, looking around the shelves.

"What kind of maps, your highness?" Aida asked in surprise at the prince's request. Koshino blinked in confusion as well.

"I need maps of all the secret passageways of the Crystal Mountain." Sendoh said simply.

"WHERE?" both exclaimed in unison.

"Akira," Koshino said. "I hope you didn't say what I think you said. You didn't say, 'the **Crystal** **Mountain**', did you?"

"In fact, Hiro…I did say the Crystal Mountain." Sendoh said. "I want to go inside there…I need to go inside."

"Have you lost your mind, Akira?" Koshino exclaimed. "No one is allowed to go there except the guards. We'd be punished if we were ever caught there."

"Very well then, I'm going alone." Sendoh said, determinedly, before turning to Aida. "Aida…the maps."

"Ye…yes." Aida said uncertainly before disappearing in glance behind a small door.

"Do you think that I'd let you go to that place?" Koshino asked firmly, crossing his hands in front of his chest.

"Hiro, I will go." Sendoh simply said. "No matter how much you protest…no matter what you do…**I'm going**."

Koshino sighed deeply before trying again. "Akira, why the Crystal Mountain?" he asked in defeat. "Of all the places in Ryonan, you choose **that** place to pass your time in!"

"I've always wanted to go there, Hiro…and you know it." Sendoh said with a sigh. "Ever since we were kids, the slaves and their lives have been a mystery to me…I need to find out more about them. I don't know what is attracting me to them but there is a voice inside of me that is urging me to know more about their lives."

"I don't think going to the Crystal Mountain will answer your questions, Akira." Koshino said. "It may even worsen your dilemma more."

"It may, but it's the only way to get answers."

"And what are you going to do when you arrive there?" Koshino said sarcastically. "Go and say, 'Hi, I'm Prince Sendoh Akira and I want you to satisfy my wild curiosity'?"

"Well, that would be a good idea." Sendoh said with a grin. "But, I don't think that I would be welcomed there. Besides, we must remain unseen by any of the palace guards. Using the secret passageways will take care of that. We will only go and have a look around."

Koshino sighed in defeat. "OK, you win. I'll go with you but just a quick look, ok?"

"Deal." Sendoh replied excitedly.

At this moment Aida appeared, holding some folded papers.

"Here are all the maps that I could find about the crystal mines, your highness." The young man replied, piling the papers on the desk.

"Good job, Aida." Sendoh said, picking up one map and opening it. "How do you read this thing!" he asked with a frown.

"Let me see," Koshino said, taking the map from Sendoh and examining it. "…Hmmm, well, I can't read it either."

"But your highness, those kinds of maps are very easy to read!" Aida said, a little confused.

"Can you actually do it?" Sendoh asked.

"Well, certainly, your highness." Aida replied.

"Alright, then. Can you come with us, please, Aida?" Sendoh said, smiling sweetly.

"To-To the mines?" Aida asked, nervously.

"If you don't want to come, you don't have to, Aida." Sendoh said firmly. "Just teach us how to read the maps and that will be all."

"No, your highness…that's not it." Aida said, shaking his head. "I'm just a bit unsure. But well, you see, I'm curious about the non-winged ones too. I'd like to join you."

"Very well then, let's go." Sendoh said excitedly.

"Are we going to ride horses?" Koshino said. "Because they'll be easy to spot."

"Well, we can ride the horses through the gardens until we're beyond the Palace walls," Sendoh said. "Then, we're gonna use our lovely wings."

"We're going to fly there!" Aida asked as he gathered his maps inside a small, shoulder bag.

"Sure." Sendoh replied. "What's the use of our wings, if we don't use them for sneaking in? We'll fly past the barriers outlining the forbidden zone that surrounds the Crystal Mountain."

"And what if we were spotted by guards?" Koshino asked.

"Don't worry." Sendoh said. "We'll go through the forest side. There aren't many guards there since the Forest is very abundant. The trees will provide us with some cover."

"I must have lost my mind when I agreed onto this." Koshino sighed in defeat. With that, the trio left the room and headed to the huge, dark mountain as they planed.

When the three young men reached the Crystal Mountain, they hid behind a large tree next to the main entrance, leading to inside the mountain, which was heavily guarded.

"Now what, Aida?" Sendoh asked. "Can you find us another entrance to the mountain?"

"According to my maps," Aida said, studying one of his maps. "There should be some secret entrances around the mountain. Let me see…" Aida looked around them for a while then looked at his map before looking up again. "There," he pointed to a nearby, lonely, maple tree on the top of one of the mountain's rocks. "A secret entrance should be right there."

"And how are we supposed to climb up there without the guards' noticing?" Koshino asked. "We will be caught in no time."

"We won't climb, obviously." Sendoh said, a little bit annoyed. "You can fly above two rocks, can't you, Hiro? Moreover, the guards will not see us, because the mountain will cover us, and the tree is at angle hidden from the main entrance."

"Well, I'm sorry for being worried that we might get caught and find ourselves in a long road of needless troubles." Koshino snapped.

"Nevertheless," Aida said before his prince would say anything. "We have to proceed with extra caution and complete silence."

"Alright, let's go then." Sendoh said. The trio walked carefully to the base of the mountain and flew quietly up to the tree. Once they landed on the narrow rock that held the tree, Aida walked to the rocky wall and examined it carefully.

"What are you looking for, Aida?" Sendoh whispered.

"The door's lock," Aida replied. "It says that these doors have secret locks, I'm trying to locate it."

Suddenly, Aida's fingers discovered a moving piece in the wall. He pushed it slowly until a small rectangle appeared to the three, revealing a set of buttons with incomplete symbols on them and a small screen.

"This must be the lock." Aida murmured softly.

"An electric lock! Great! Just what we need!" Sendoh exclaimed in annoyance. "How do we open it? Do you know what buttons we should press, Aida?" he asked.

"Not yet, but…" Aida's voice trailed as he stared at the symbols thoughtfully. "I may be able to think of something."

"Why don't we go back?" Koshino suggested. "We could get caught if we entered the wrong password."

"Well, I came this far and I'm not leaving." Sendoh said.

"I think I might be able to guess the password." Aida said, checking his notes from a little black book. "Let's try!"

Hesitantly, he pressed some buttons, forming a symbol on the little screen. A soft beep was heard and the screen flashed red.

Aida frowned, and then looked at his notebook. He turned some pages and read, before looking at the buttons again and pressing some more. Another beep was heard, but this time the screen flashed green before a door opened, soundlessly, from the wall. Quickly, the three youths entered before the door closed again behind them. Inside, they saw a stairway that lead deep down into the heart of the mountain.

"Aida, how did you do it?"

"Well, your highness, I've noticed that the incomplete symbols on the buttons could form a drawing, if pressed correspondingly. There are such locks in The Imperial Library and The Imperial Family's Treasures Hall. The only thing that you have to do is to know the right symbol to draw from those lines, then the right order to do so. I drew the Imperial Symbol of the Empire, but it didn't work. So I tried something else."

"What symbol did you draw?" Koshino asked.

"The slaves' tattoo," Aida replied.

"Ahem," Sendoh said, feeling an unexplained uneasiness in his heart. "We better continue on our way."

Taking a torch from the wall, they followed the stairs until they reached a caved crossroad leading to five different caves.

"Well, where do we go now?" Koshino asked.

"According to the map," Aida said. "Each of these caves will lead us through a long corridor, then to a door that opens to the crystal mine on this level. They form a network surrounding the mine, thus, each cave will lead to a different place in the mine."

"So which cave shall we choose?" Koshino asked.

"I say, we take the one straight ahead." Sendoh said.

"Alright." The two youths said, following their prince. The three walked through a dimly lit corridor until they reached the end, where they found themselves in a small hall with three locked doors. Strange sounds echoed from behind the wall, and the three were positive that they had finally reached their destination.

"Aida, tell me," Sendoh asked as the librarian examined the wall, looking for the door's lock. "Is there only one mine in the whole mountain?"

"There are several mines in this mountain, your highness." Aida replied. "And they are above one another. I think, we are in the lowest mine in the mountain."

"Then how could anyone go up and down the mountain?"

"There are doors that open to staircases, just like the one we used earlier, that connects the whole mountain. In addition to that, there are lifts that carry the crystals up and down."

"What about the main entrances?" Koshino asked.

"There is one main entrance to each mine, plus one to the mountain's main entrance." Aida said as he pressed the buttons of the lock. "The secret passages lead to several openings in different locations in the mine. They, also, form a network around it."

"Wow, that's cool!" Sendoh said. With a small sound, the door opened and they gasped, in surprise, at the sight in front of them.

The Crystal mine was truly a remarkable sight.

The walls of the mine were covered in glassy blue crystals. Sparkles of light, coming from the large torches on the wall, reflected beautifully, against its clear surface.

The three boys were standing in a dike, hidden by crystal rocks. Approaching the rocks, they, carefully, popped their heads and peaked into the mine.

Thousands of wingless slaves were working hard, cutting the crystal, collecting it in mobile carriages, then sending it away. The guards, with their unique uniforms and three-point spears, were watching over the slaves as they worked.

Suddenly, a sound of loud lash echoed through the mine. The three friends looked at each other, then back into the mine, searching for the non-stop lashing sounds. Their eyes widened, in horror, as they saw a guard, mercilessly, whipping an old slave nearby. A group of slaves stood near them, witnessing the event in silence.

"Stand up, old man." The guard snarled without stopping his whipping. "You are good for nothing, old pig. You're a waste of food and space." with that, the guard took out his sword and stabbed the old man in the back.

"PAPA!" a young girl yelled, running from among the slaves to the dead man. She knelt next to his corpse and shook it violently. Tears were falling like rivers from her eyes. "PAPA, ANSWER ME! PAPA, PLEASE!"

The guard laughed cruelly at her. "He won't answer you, little brat. His soul is rotting in the underworld now."

The little girl looked up at the guard, hatred filling her teary eyes; her tiny fist grabbed a small crystal stone and threw it directly at his face.

"WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT!" the guard exclaimed, rubbing the small lump on his forehead. "HOW DARE YOU?" Angrily, he raised his sword and separated the girl's head from her body. Her little body collapsed over her father's and blood poured on the crystal floor.

Sendoh felt his body freeze at the sight of the double murder. To witness such murder wasn't something he expected to see. An old man and little girl were murdered, ruthlessly, and no one had moved an inch.

The slaves watched the corpses with silent sadness in their eyes, then returned to their work when they were ordered to, while the guards chuckled and laughed at the murder, and they even prevented some slaves from moving the corpses away.

What is happening here? Sendoh asked himself.

Sound of someone about to retch snapped Sendoh from his shock. He looked at his friends and saw Koshino turning his face, while covering his nose in a futile attempt to prevent the fresh blood smell from tickling it. He heaved with difficulty, as his stomach jumbled from the smell.

All the while, Aida stood in his place, too stunned to move. He stared at the dead bodies with wide eyes; his face started to turn into an unhealthy shade of green.

"Hiro—" Sendoh started to ask, in concern, but Koshino cut him off by raising a hand.

Nodding, Sendoh looked at Aida.

"Aida," he said softly, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. He felt the body underneath his hand shivering slightly.

"Aida." He called again. This time, the younger boy looked back at him and did a double take, as if he had just waked up from a dream.

"Your highness," Aida said softly.

Before Sendoh could respond, another scream rang through the mine.

"NO, LET ME GO. HELP!"

"HEY, TAKE YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER…………AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH."

"KAEDE!"

The shouts helped the trio to recover, quickly, from their shock. They ran through the hidden way, until they reached the source of the voices.

What they saw were two guards were holding a teenage boy, preventing his body from collapsing, as a third guard punched and kicked the boy's face and body.

Two slaves stood nearby, holding a very inflamed slave and preventing him from approaching the group. A girl was crying near the trio.

After a while, the two guards let go of the boy, who fell on the ground immediately. The third guard kicked the laying boy hardly ordering him to get up; a soft groan escaped from the slave as he tried to get off the ground, however all his attempts to get up went in vain.

"Looks like our little hero here can't stand by himself." the guard sneered. "What's wrong, kid? Got tired that easily?"

"Fukuda," one of the guards said. "You're forgetting that he's not as strong as normal kids. He needs some energy to do so. What do you say I help him?"

"Be my guest, Fujin."

"YOU BASTARDS…NO!" the slave, being held, yelled.

Fujin looked up at him then smirked, pointing his three jointed pike towards the boy and pressing a small button on it. An electric wave escaped from the pike and ran through the boy's body, who released a horrible scream and lost consciousness.

"KAEDE!", "RUKAWA!" The four slaves yelled in horror.

"YOU MONSTERS!" the slave struggled to free himself from his friends' tight hold, but failed as both slaves tightened their hold on him. "IF ANY THING HAPPENED TO KAEDE… IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY COUSIN, I SWEAR I'LL CUT YOU INTO PIECES, FUKUDA."

"Mitsui, calm down." One of the slaves said. "You'll lose your life before you touch one of them."

"LET GO OF ME, MINAMI." Mitsui struggled like a wild animal. "LET GO OF ME."

"Minami is right, Micchy. You'll only cause your death." The second slave with flaming red hair said.

"SHUT UP, SAKURAGI." Mitsui hissed.

"You better listen to your friends, Mitsui-kid." Fukuda said, calmly, with a smirk. "**Or** you'll join your cousin in the underworld."

"You dirty beast," Mitsui hissed, glaring dangerously at Fukuda. "I swear that you'll pay for this…"

"Mitsui…" Minami tried to interrupt him, but Mitsui ignored him completely.

"I swear, by all the Gods, that I'll make you pay dearly for this, Fukuda."

Fukuda chuckled and shrugged carelessly before leaving, followed by his friends.

As soon as the guards disappeared from sight, the four slaves ran towards the unconscious boy.

"Someone call Kiminobu now." Mitsui, who was kneeling beside Rukawa and checking his pulse, yelled.

"I will." Sakuragi said, before rushing away.

"Kaede," Mitsui called, softy, as he gave the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and an external cardiac massage. "Kaede…answer me. Kaede…Don't you even think of dying in my hands, kid, hear that? Don't you dare!"

Minami and the girl watched with heavy hearts, as Mitsui did his best to save his cousin. A few minutes later, Rukawa let out a gasp, before opening his eyes slightly.

"Hisa—shi," he whispered. "Ay—ko?"

Mitsui sighed in relief, and looked up at the said girl, raising Rukawa's head to his lap.

"I'm here, Kaede." The girl said, running towards the two youths. "Thank you. You saved me." Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared at the lying boy.

"I'm glad." Rukawa whispered weakly, feeling the world around him spin.

"Kaede!" the slaves looked behind and saw another youth running towards them, along with Sakuragi.

Ayako stood up, making way for the newcomer, who knelt quickly beside Rukawa and examined his pulse.

"How do you feel, Kaede?" he asked, taking out a small bottle from his bag and giving it to Rukawa. "Drink this."

"I'm—alright." Rukawa replied, drinking the liquid in the bottle then gave it back to Kogure. "I just feel—" he couldn't complete his sentence for he passed out again.

"Kaede!" Mitsui exclaimed.

"Don't worry." Kogure said calmly. "He had just passed out. He needs to rest. Let's get him out of here."

Kogure and Mitsui carried Rukawa and laid him near the crystal rock, where Sendoh and his friends were hiding.

The three winged youths sank down to their knees, hiding themselves from the slaves.

"What now?" Mitsui asked in concern, looking at Rukawa, then at Kogure.

"Nothing." Kogure said, shaking his head. "We'll leave him to rest here."

"Kimi, what about—" Mitsui was interrupted by Kogure's finger on his lips.

"He'll be fine. The medicine will help his heartbeat return to its regular pace." The gentle youth said, before standing up. "I have to go. I'm needed elsewhere." With that, Kogure left, nodding his assurances to the three waiting slaves.

Minami approached Mitsui and knelt beside him.

"Mitsui," he said, placing a hand on the youth's shoulder.

"Why didn't you let me kill that bastard?" Mitsui hissed, dangerously. "I'd have torn his neck with my bare hands."

"And kill yourself." Minami said. "You won't do us any good if you die. Remember your duty, Mitsui. You still have a sacred duty to fulfill."

"But—"

"BACK TO WORK, YOU SWANS." A guard yelled at them.

Mitsui turned his head towards the guard, eyes just screaming hatred. His heart was strong with the urge to smash the guard's face with his tight fists. Seeing that dangerous glare in Mitsui's eyes, Minami tried to reason with his friend.

"Hisashi!" he hissed warningly. "Don't let your anger get the best of you. Think of your father, Kogure, Rukawa, and your sister. Think of your duty and vows to your father. Do not get yourself killed over nothing."

Hearing those words forced Mitsui to calm himself. He took several deep breaths before standing up.

"You're right." He said looking at Minami. "My death won't do anyone any good. I'll have my revenge...sooner or later." With that vow, Mitsui left with Minami.

"Akira," Koshino whispered with a sharp edge to his voice. "Let's go. I can't stand being in this place anymore. I can't stay here another minute."

"Wait." Sendoh said, straightening up a little bit and peaking from behind the rock. He took a glance at the unconscious boy and his eyes studied the beautiful creature before him.

Midnight-black hair that was partially covering almond-shaped closed eyes…Ivory white skin that was stained with red cuts and purple bruises…Partially opened lips that started, slowly, to regain their rosy color…A slender body that was hardly covered by the semi-torn, sleeveless, blue chiton.

Sendoh reached out his hand and brushed the bruised cheek, gently; his hand, then, traced the perfect jawbone until it reached the long, white neck. His eyes caught the sight of black lisle, and pulling it out, gently, a piece of round-shaped crystal appeared at the end of the pendant.

Suddenly, a soft groan emitted from the boy and Sendoh watched in amazement as beautiful, almond eyes opened slowly. Too stunned to react, Sendoh stayed in his place staring at the eyes that gazed in his direction, unfocusedly, before closing again.

"Akira," Koshino's angry hiss snapped Sendoh from his reverie. "Let's go. Aida isn't feeling well. And I think I'm going to throw up, for real, any minute now."

Forcedly, Sendoh looked at their companion, and, indeed, the younger boy didn't look well at all.

"Yeah," he said, looking back at Rukawa. "We better go." But before leaving, Sendoh took the pendant, gently, from Rukawa's neck and shoved it into his pocket. Then, he and his friends left the mountain with many questions in their heads.

T.B.C.


	3. Chapter Two

Destiny

Author: HanaHeart

Beta: Mikawa

Fic Information & Disclaimer: See the Prologue

**Chapter: Two**

**The sun set slowly behind the mountains, coloring the horizon with a beautiful mixture of red and orange. Sendoh stood in his chamber's balcony, staring at the crystal mountain as the red rays of the sun tinted it with red shades. However, his mind was occupied with other things other than the beautiful scene in front of him. **

**His right hand tightened its grasp on the round object he was holding as images of what happened this morning kept flashing in his mind. **

**He sighed deeply, looking down at the pendant in his hand.**

**/What is going on around me/ he asked himself repeatedly, without a getting a clear answer.**

**What happened in that mine wasn't something the young prince had expected to witness. Two murders…and a boy was badly beaten then electricuted, nearly sending him to his death. Sendoh wondered why the guards behaved like that. He wondered if his father knew about what was going on in that mountain.**

**Sendoh shook his head at the last thought; his father was a good ruler. He's a man of principles. And his hatred towards anybody wouldn't allow him to betray his values, not even towards the slaves. If he knew about what was happening, he'd stop it immediately.**

**But then, who's responsible for these horrible happenings if not his father?**

**Looking again at the pendant in his hand, his mind **drifted **to its owner…that boy was so young, maybe one or two years younger than he was, but he was treated so badly, punched and kicked non-stop then electricuted. What crime did he commit to deserve such punishment?**

**And the pendant, how did the boy come to possess such a pendant?**

**He studied the crystal piece carefully. It was such a bibelot, round glassy-blue crystal with the warm smiling face of Hera, masterly engraved in the middle of it, surrounded by small cupids (Eros) flying around it.**

**Hera, the queen of all gods and goddess, the protector of marriage, and Eros, god of love, and protector of all lovers, Sendoh smiled warmly, thinking of the meaning behind this combination. However, seeing such a pendant in the possession of a slave wasn't something he expected. It was true that the wingless slaves worshiped Hera, unlike his people who preferred Zeus' worshiping instead, but that specific pendant was special, and Sendoh had seen the exact same pendant in the Palace before. **

He had seen it in the paintings of his ancestors, on his mother's chest once or twice, and then it was given to him as present on his eighteenth birthday last February. Unconsciously, Sendoh's other hand reached under his tunic and felt for the crystal object around his neck.

**This was an heirloom from his great ancestor…Emperor Sendoh **Yoshiakira

**He was told that the pendant was a gift from the emperor's lover to him as a promise of everlasting love and devotion. It was supposed to be one of a kind…made especially for the ancient Emperor. Then, how did a slave come to own an exact copy of it? **

**Sendoh wondered if the one in his hand was false…**

**"Akira…Akira…" Sendoh snapped from his thoughts at Koshino's voice. Looking behind him, he saw his friend leaning against the entrance of the balcony and staring at him with concern.**

**"Hiro," Sendoh said. "How are you? How long have you been standing there?"**

**"I'm fine," Koshino said with a frown as he approached Sendoh and stood next to him. "I've been standing here for a while now, waiting for you to notice me, but obviously your mind was in another world."**

**Sendoh sighed and looked back at the horizon; his hand tightened around the crystal pendant.**

**"I was thinking." He said softly. "You're right; my mind was in another world…a world that I haven't expected to exist in Ryonan…few kilometers away from me."**

**Koshino's body tensed, remembering their encounter this morning.**

**"I have many questions that I can't find answers to, Hiro." Sendoh continued. "Many doubts in my heart that I can't suppress."**

**"I don't know what to say, Akira." Koshino said. "We are in the same boat. I've asked myself many times whether that little girl deserved to witness her father's death and be killed herself in the same brutal way or not, but I couldn't find a satisfying answer. Just because they were slaves, it doesn't justify treating them like their lives are worth nothing…"**

**"Do you think my father knows about what is happening there?" Sendoh asked.**

"No, I don't." Koshino said. "Emperor Ookawa won't allow such barbarity, even if it comes to the slaves."

"Then why did the guards act that way, if my father doesn't approve of it?"

"I doubt that his majesty knows about what's happening." Koshino said. "The slaves' matters are part of General Sawakita Eiji's duties not his majesty's."

"Sawakita!" Sendoh looked at his friend in surprise. "Do you think he's the one who prompted the guards to do so?"

Koshino nodded. "Sawakita's hatred towards the slaves is not a hidden secret. Everyone knows that if it's up to him, he would exterminate the slaves completely."

"If that's so, then he must be stopped immediately." Sendoh said determinedly. "I'll talk about it with my father at dinner tonight."

"Be careful, Akira." Koshino warned. "The emperor will be very mad if he knew that we went to the mines without permission."

"Don't worry, Hiro." Sendoh smiled slightly. "I'll find a way to open the subject, without telling anybody that we went to the mines."

Ayako dried the cloth in her hand from the excess water, before wiping Rukawa's forehead with it. **It has been almost four hours since they got back from the mines and still her little cousin hadn't woken up, but who can blame him. He was exhausted from all the beating he had received, not to mention being electricuted with 110-volts of electricity. A tear rolled down Ayako's cheek as she remembered the incident in the mines.**

**Rukawa had defended her when Fukuda tried to tear up her clothes and for that, he was beaten up and electricuted with no mercy. Ayako was brought back to reality by her brother's voice shouting from the living room.**

**"AYAKO, YOUR FATHER AND I ARE STRAVING…WHERE IS OUR DAMN DINNER?"**

**Ayako sighed and looked down at the sleeping boy before standing up and leaving the room to serve dinner to her father and brother.** **She placed the hot stew on the ground in front of them then sat, and the three started to eat silently.**

**"Ayako, how is Kaede now?" Mitsui Kouyou asked.**

**"He's resting." Ayako replied. "He seems to be breathing normally, but I'm still worried about him."**

**"What happened back there, Hisashi?" Kouyou asked firmly. "Haven't I ordered you and Kaede to stay out of trouble?"**

**"Yes, you have, father." Hisashi answered. "But that Fukuda has gone too far this time."**

**"What has Fukuda done this time?"**

**"Well," Hisashi looked at Ayako with uncertain look, trying to find something to say. "He…he…he…he…he…he…"**

"**He did what, boy? Spit it out…" Kouyou snapped impatiently.**

**"He tried to molest Ayako." Hisashi said in one breath.**

**"WHAT?"**

**"Nothing happened, father." Hisashi said quickly, hoping to calm his father's rage. "Kaede was near them. He pushed the jerk away from her."**

**"Damn…" Kouyou cursed under his breath. "Not again."**

**Hisashi and Ayako winced upon hearing the anger in their father's voice. Nothing would stop their father from going **out on a killing spree if he put his mind into it.

"Father," Hisashi said. "Nothing happened. Like I told you, Kaede managed to prevent that bastard from touching Ayako."

"Ayako," Kouyou said firmly.

"Yes, father?" Ayako looked up at her father; tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

"**I know that what happened wasn't your fault." Kouyou said. "However, for your safety, you should always stay near Hisashi or **your fiancé and **away from Fukuda, understood?"**

**"Yes, father." Ayako said timidly. **

**"Now, would you leave us please? I want to have a word with your brother."**

**"As you wish, father." ** **With that, Ayako stood up and left the room hastily. **

**"I have entrusted you to take care of your sister and cousin in my absence, Hisashi." Kouyou said accusingly after Ayako's departure. "What you have been doing there?"**

**"I'm sorry, father." Hisashi said, lowering his gaze, ashamed. "I know that I have failed you." **

**"Hisashi," Kouyou said quietly. "I think I've told you the circumstances of your aunt's death, and I've warned you to take care of your sister. I don't want what happened ten years ago to repeat again." **

**"I know that, father." Hisashi said. "But at that time Ryu was telling me about what happened in the other side of the mine, I didn't notice that jerk hanging around Ayako."**

**"What happened on the other side of the mine?"**

**"Houshu and his daughter were killed." Hisashi spat.**

**"What?" Kouyou widened his eyes in horror.**

**"Yes. Ryu said that some guard killed them both, cold bloodedly."**

**"This has gone so far." Kouyou said more to himself than to Hisashi. "They killed an old man and a child. They tried to disgrace our family. What will they do next?"**

**"Don't worry father." Hisashi said heatedly. "The Houshus' blood and my sister's honor will be avenged. I'll gather the boys tonight and strike the guards' camp—"**

**"No," Kouyou said. "You must lay low these days. Sawakita and his men are up to something."**

**"But father—"**

"I said no, **Hisashi." Kouyou cut off. "They're trying to anger you. Even if the murder didn't have anything to do with your sister's incident, we can't take the risk. I fear that they are trying to force you into their trap…the same way they got your aunt's husband. After your aunt's incident, Kanojo lost his temper and went like a madman to seek revenge. He lost his concentration and they managed to arrest him and his men."**

**"But father, Uncle Kanojo was a great fighter." Hisashi said. "You always said that he had led the resistance since he was fourteen."**

**"Yes, he had, Hisashi." Kouyou said. "But after your aunt's death he became reckless and because of that they managed to pull him into the trap. I don't want the same thing happen to you or to your friends."**

**"Then should I stop our missions?"**

**"Not completely." Kouyou said. "Let them know that the resistance still there. Hold back a little bit and choose your targets carefully. Take only the people that you really trust in your missions. And stay away from Fukuda these days. His turn will come very soon."**

**"OK, father." Hisashi said. "Anything else?"**

**"Yes, keep Kaede out of all this." Kouyou said. "You're the one who should look after him."**

**"Yes, father." Hisashi said with a sigh. "But he wants to take part in the resistance so badly. I don't know what to do when he keeps nagging me about it. Can't you allow him to take a small part like smuggling guns and food or something?"**

**"I said; keep Kaede completely out of this…end of discussion."**

**Koshino glanced at Sendoh from behind the book he was reading. Sendoh was sitting silently in front of the balcony glancing through the glass, absent-mindedly for nearly two hours. Koshino frowned at his friend's strange behavior. Sighing heavily, he decided to stop that mental torment and find the underlying cause of Sendoh's distress.**

**"Akira. Akira," Koshino said, putting down his book. "Akira!" **

**"Huh?" Sendoh snapped out of his reverie and looked at his friend. "What?"**

"I**s something wrong?" Koshino asked in concern. "You've been strangely silent ever since you came back from dinner. Something wrong?"**

**"No." Sendoh answered before looking out the window again.**

**"There must be something on your mind, Akira." Koshino said. "You don't usually stay silent for two hours. What is it?"**

"**Lots of trash." Sendoh snorted.**

**"Akira, this is serious." Koshino said firmly. "What's wrong with you?"**

**"Wrong with me?" Sendoh said, dreamingly. "Yes, that's right. It must be right. I can't be the only one right and the rest are wrong." He smiled slightly. "Yes, I'm wrong and they are right."**

**"Akira," Koshino said solemnly. "You better tell me what's bothering you, or I swear by Great Zeus I'm gonna give you piece of my mind. And believe me, you don't want me to do so."**

**"Then I'll send you to prison." Sendoh said quietly.**

**"Very funny." Koshino said. "I've been your companion since childhood. I know that you won't have the heart to send me to prison."**

**"That's true." Sendoh said, looking at his friend. "At any rate, you are welcome to do whatever you like, Hiro. It doesn't matter anymore. Everything seems so strange around me. Nothing is as it's used to be. I won't be shocked even if we switch places." Sendoh snorted slightly. "Everything around me seems so wrong." **

**Hearing what Sendoh has just said, made Koshino feel uncomfortable. His friend and prince sounded so uncertain…so lost… **

**"Akira," Koshino tried again. "What's wrong? Tell me."**

**Sendoh sighed as he stood up and walked to the small table at one corner. He poured himself a glass of red wine before looking back at Koshino.**

**"It's about the slaves." He said. **

**"So you've talked to his Majesty…What did he say?" Koshino asked.**

**"Talked?" Sendoh snorted, gulping down his drink at once before pouring more. "He hadn't given me any chance to talk. He had said everything without me even asking him. He said things I hadn't expected him to say. Every word that left his mouth, had stabbed me deeply in the heart…to the extent that I felt he isn't my father any more…Not the father who taught me how to respect life…how to appreciate others…how to cherish everything good in life."**

**"Akira, what did he say exactly?" Koshino frowned.**

**"During dinner," Sendoh began. "My father was unusually distracted…" **

**_ FLASHBACK _**

**_A strange atmosphere was reigning as the royal family dined. Emperor Ookawa was unusually silent and lost in deep thoughts. Akira and his mother exchanged confused glances. Empress Hato frowned at her husband's strange state. Nothing had bothered him this way before. All his life, Emperor Ookawa had managed to keep his duties, as an emperor from disturbing his feeling as a father and husband…the Empire affairs had never disturbed their peace as family. Thus, seeing her husband distracted that way while he was having dinner with his family was very abnormal to the Empress._**

"_Darling," Empress Hato said. "**Is something bothering you?"**_

**_But the Emperor's mind was too far away to hear his wife. Hato exchanged a worried glance with her son before looking at her husband and trying again._**

**"_Dear," she called. "What's wrong?"_**

"**_Huh?" Ookawa snapped from his reverie. "What is it, my dear?"_**

"_I asked you if something was bothering you, dear." Hato said, frowning slightly._

**"_Nothing is bothering me, dear…Nothing." Ookawa forced a reassuring smile before returning his attention to his untouched food._**

"_Ookawa," Hato said solemnly. "It's clear that there is something bothering you. You're not your usual self. Tell me what's wrong, darling. I may be able to help you."_

"**_Alright, you win." Ookawa sighed in defeat. "There is indeed something bothering me. I've seen Sawakita before dinner; he said there have been some disturbances again in the mines…apparently, two slaves had been executed."_**

**_Akira almost dropped his fork from his hand upon hearing his father. _**_He looked up at his father's face, trying to read his emotions, but **there wasn't any emotion on his father's handsome face. He couldn't tell whether he was upset with news or pleased. Neither his tone nor his actions indicated anything. **_

**_Akira looked down at his food, thinking._ _Apparently, his father knew about what was happening in the mines. He wondered, though, how much his father was informed. Did his father know the true circumstances surrounding the deaths or not? How did Sawakita explain the deaths of an old man and his little girl?_**

**_His thoughts were interrupted by a bored sigh from his mother… _**

**"_Those slaves!"_ _Hato sighed. "I can't believe the commotion they make! When will they stop disturbing our peaceful life with their presence? What have they done this time?"_**

**"_Sawakita said that one of the guards had spotted an aged man who wasn't working," Ookawa replied. "He whipped the man when he hadn't returned to work when he was ordered to do so, then, he killed him because he was useless. The second slave was apparently his daughter…she had hit the guard with a crystal stone. That's why he killed her."_**

"_That's what bothering you?" Hato asked indifferently. "I can't see what's unusual with it. **Executing slaves because of uselessness is an everyday event. I fail to see what is making you so worried."**_

**"**_I**t's not that which worries me, dear." Ookawa said. "I'm worried of what Sawakita had told me about the resistance that exists among the slaves. They are trying to rebel against us. And some of the guards in the mines and **the concentration camps were** assassinated. I fear that these executions will provoke those rebels even more and make them attack more of our guards."**_

**"_That's indeed horrible." Hato said. "But, darling, those rebels must be stopped. You can't surrender to their threat. They are but a bunch of thugs. I'm sure Sawakita would be able to catch them and punish them properly."_**

**"_Sawakita had suggested arresting everyone he suspected and force them to confess." Ookawa said. "But_** **_arresting and torturing young people will decrease the work in the mines. And we're in desperate need for the crystal energy these days."_**

**"_Then what will you do about it?" Hato asked._**

**"_Well, I've been thinking about something Sawakita had said." Ookawa said thoughtfully. "It's supposed to send a message to those rebels."_**

**"_And what is that?"_**

**"_The elders."_ _Ookawa said. "He suggested announcing that any slave who reaches the age of 50 would be executed. This would send a warning message to the rebels and at the same time, get rid of those useless elders who can't work in the mines."_**

**"_What a brilliant idea, my dear." Hato said. "That would surely solve the problem."_**

**_Unable to hear anymore, Akira stood suddenly from his seat causing a loud sound. _**

**"_What's the matter dear?"_**

**"_I—I'm finished." Akira stuttered, looking everywhere except to his parents._**

**"_But your plate isn't empty yet, my boy." Ookawa said. "You've hardly touched it."_**

**_Akira looked up to his father with an odd look in his eyes. "I'm not hungry anymore." He said softly, looking away. "Besides Hiro must be waiting for me right now. I have to go." With that, Akira left the dinning room without looking behind him. He felt as if his whole world had crumbled around him. _**

**_What happened to his parents? His mind screamed at him, repeatedly. What happened to his perfect world?_**

_He could not believe what he had heard with his own ears. His loving parents…his loving kind parents…they knew about it. They knew about the horrible treatment that the slaves were enduring, yet, they didn't care. In fact, they were planning to execute innocent people...for what? Uselessness? Disability to work?_

_Akira's **legs couldn't support his weight anymore and the world around him started to spin. The shock was so great that his mind couldn't absorb it.**_ **_He leaned on a nearby wall as his tears started to fall uncontrollably._**

**_ END OF FLASHBACK _**

**Koshino gasped in horror. He looked at his friend's face, trying to assure himself that Sendoh was only pulling a joke on him. **

**"Akira, you're joking right?" Koshino said disbelievingly. "All that trash you've just said, didn't happen, right?"**

**"I wish it was, Hiro. I wish it was." Sendoh said, drinking another glass of wine. "Even now, my mind is still refusing to believe. I asked myself why we are different. Why are we masters and they slaves? We were told that we're a superior race because of our wings, but does the presence of wings really determine the superiority of a race? Does it, Hiro?"**

**Koshino shook his head, not knowing what to say. What Sendoh told him was a great shock. The Emperor had always been a kind and just man. How could he permit such things to happen…even to the slaves? It was impossible to believe.**

**"I can't believe that I have been bluffed by my own parents." Sendoh said softly. "I can't believe that the man I've always wanted to be like turned out to be that heartless."**

**"Don't be hard on yourself, Akira." Koshino said after a moment. "Maybe if we tried talking to them, they'll understand. If we explained to them that what is happening is simply a brutal thing, even if they were slaves, I'm sure they'll listen."**

**"Hiroaki, it's no use." Sendoh said. "You hadn't heard how they were talking. They were talking about this matter as if it was the weather. Their hatred is bigger and larger than anyone could imagine. Trying to reason with them will be a waste of time."**

**"Then what, Akira?" Koshino growled. "Should we shut our mouths and eyes? For Zeus' sake, Akira, a child was murdered! And now you're telling me that Sawakita is planning to execute the elders and torture the others! Should we shut up and watch? God, every time I remember that child, I feel the urge to throw up! We can't stand and do nothing."**

**"You're right, Hiro." Sendoh said, a strange light sparkled in his eyes. "We can't stand and do nothing. We have to do something. And our path starts with this." He took out the crystal pendant from his pocket and showed it to Koshino.**

**"Your necklace?" Koshino watched the jewelry with confusion. "Why would it have anything to do with the slaves?"**

**"Because this isn't my necklace." Sendoh said with a small smirk. "My necklace is here." He pushed his tunic a little, revealing the crystal pendant around his neck.**

**"But if that's your necklace, then what is that?" Koshino asked. "And wasn't your necklace supposed to be one of a kind, by the way?"**

**"Yes," Sendoh said. "So imagine my surprise when I found this around the neck of a slave in the mines."**

"A slave from the mines?"

"Yes, do you remember that slave-boy, who was electrified back in the mines?"

Koshino nodded.

"He was wearing it around his neck."

"And you took it from him?" Koshino asked, eyeing his friend angrily.

"Yes."

"Akira, what were you thinking?" Koshino exclaimed. "Someone could've noticed your presence …"

"That's not my main concern now, Hiro…" Sendoh said firmly. "I have more important things on my mind."

"And what is more important than being caught in a mine where we shouldn't be in the first place?" Koshino folded his arms in front of his chest, scowling.

"This." Sendoh sighed, pointing at the two pendants. "We have two identical pendants when only one is supposed to exist. Doesn't this make you curious about the origin of the other one?"

"Well, maybe one is false…" Koshino shrugged.

"I don't think so." Sendoh shook his head, taking his pendant off his neck and weighing the two in his hands. "They even have the same weight. And they are an identical copy of each other, except maybe for…"

He turned the two pendants and studied their backs.

"Well?" Koshino asked, noticing the frown on his friend's face.

Sendoh handed Koshino the two pendants "Look at this…"

"This is the Sendoh Family Crest." Koshino said, studying one of the pendants. "But whose Crest is on the other one?"

"I don't know." Sendoh said. "But this one was around the slave's neck."

"So it could be his family Crest." Koshino said simply.

"A slave?" Sendoh said pointedly. "Hiro, such Crest belongs only to a noble family. There is no way that a slave could possess such a pendant by mere accident."

"Why are you interested in this, anyway?" Koshino asked. "How is this pendant supposed to help us help the slaves?"

"I don't know, Hiro." Sendoh sighed, "But I have a feeling that is spurring me on to find out more about these pendants. I have this feeling that they hold a secret behind them…a secret from the very far past…something related to the non-winged and their suffering… something related to me."

"Then how do you suggest the slave got the other necklace? And which family do you think this Crest belongs to?"

"That'll need some research in library." Sendoh said with a small smirk. "Think that Aida would help?"

"I doubt that he wants to see you again after the mines, Akira." Koshino said.

"Well, he has no choice." Sendoh said. "I am his prince and he's obliged to obey me."

"God help him then."

The two friends smiled at each other, and then left, looking for Aida.

As the night covered the earth with its black cloak, a magical mist ran with the soft breeze through the trees of the forest as if to conceal from any prying eyes whatever was hidden between their long branches.

A white dove flew from above one of the trees and landed next to the river. Suddenly, a white light shone from the creature as it transformed into the most beautiful woman a being could ever see.

The beautiful Lady stood up, gazing at the moon. Her sleeveless, white silk gown shone in pearly light under the moon's silver rays, along with her jade-green eyes and golden hair. And her full rose-red lips twinkled with the stars in the sky as they formed the sweetest and most seductive smile.

"Aphrodite, O'Goddess of Beauty," a calm voice called from the shadows. Aphrodite turned around, still smiling seductively. She bowed her head slightly upon seeing the newcomer.

"Athena, O'Goddess of Wisdom," she said, gently, greeting the other goddess. "To what delighted reason do I owe the pleasure of thy visit?"

"The time has come for the lost truth to be found." Athena said. "The past will come back and justice will finally be fulfilled. The young Prince is on the path to uncover the long forgotten truth and bring justice to those who had been wronged."

"O'Goddess Athena," Aphrodite said, sitting under a maple tree. "What would Great Zeus say when thou, whom he favored above all the gods and goddess, are trying to free those who worshiped Fair Hera instead of him?" The goddess asked in bold coquetry.

"The dissidence between Great Zeus and Fair Hera will not meddle in the way of justice." Athena said, frowning at Aphrodite. "Lies and injustice have lingered in this land for two hundred years, now; the time has come for the truth to be known and the chains of oppression to be broken."

"And where do I fit in such a matter, Athena?" Aphrodite asked slyly. "I am not a goddess of War or Wisdom such as thou, nor am I a goddess of Justice or Truth."

Athena regarded the goddess of Love and Beauty before she spoke again. "Long ago, Hatred had resided where love should had grown. And the tears of injustice had watered the earth with its bitter taste. Now, love must conquer hatred and bring justice to these lands. The two lost hearts must unite in order for the truth to come to light."

Aphrodite smirked mischievously. This was proving to be interesting for the beautiful goddess, who enjoyed playing with the hearts of mortals and immortals alike.

"And whom are the hearts that must unite?" she asked with a playful smile on her face.

"Thou are aware whose hearts should be united." Athena said, pointedly, with a frown. "After all, it was thou who linked their fates in the heavens."

Hearing this, Aphrodite laughed in amusement. It was indeed interesting.

"Very well, O'Goddess of Wisdom," she said finally. "Love shall bind their hearts till there be nothing to break them apart…as it was planned in the heavens." With that, the Goddess of Love and Beauty waved her fair hand and sparkles of light escaped from them and flowed into the air of the night.

Next day, in the Crystal mines…

Sakuragi took deep breaths, trying to restore his strength. Cold sweat dripped off his forehead, as the redheaded guy continued to cut through the crystal rock with a heavy crystal-cutter machine.

Feeling the need for a short rest, he looked around to make sure that none of the guards was watching him, before dropping the heavy machine from his hand.

He wiped the sweat off his face and ran his hand through his hair. He turned around to see what his friend Minami was doing. He sighed in defeat, when he saw his older friend staring helplessly at the opposite side of the mine with dreamy eyes.

/Minami Tsuyoshi/ Sakuragi shook his head in amusement. /He's helplessly in love with that Kitsune. I wonder what has kept him from approaching Kaede until now/

Minami stared at Rukawa as the latter worked silently in the farther corner. Ever since they met when Rukawa's father was executed and Rukawa moved to live with his uncle, Minami had been developing some feelings for the silent boy. It had started with pure friendship and brotherhood but as the days passed and the two boys grew up, Minami's feelings towards the younger boy had turned to great love and affection.

However, Minami had never tried to approach the boy and make his feelings known, fearing Rukawa's rejection too much; besides, the boy had never treated him as anything other than a friend or elder brother. In addition, Rukawa never showed any kind of interest towards any one. So Minami contented himself by watching his center of affection in mute adoration from a distance.

Sakuragi sighed, shaking his head again. Either his friend hadn't realized how deeply he was in love with Rukawa or was afraid to confess. Either way, Sakuragi Hanamichi was going to give him a hand. Smirking to himself, Sakuragi walked over to his friend.

"You know, staring all day at that Kitsune won't change any thing, Minami. Neither will it make your feelings known to him," Minami heard Sakuragi saying from behind his back.

"I know," he answered, not tearing his eyes from Rukawa.

Sakuragi sighed, "Then why are you still standing here? Go and tell him about your feelings towards him…it's easy. Go and tell him 'Kaede, I love you' and then kiss him on the lips passionately…that's all!"

Minami snorted; everything was so simple in Sakuragi's eyes.

"No, that's not all, Sakuragi." He looked at his redheaded friend. "Telling Rukawa my feelings towards him isn't as simple as you think."

"Why? Kaede is my friend too, and I guarantee you, he's not thinking of anybody right now."

"That's the problem, Sakuragi," Minami looked back at the raven-haired boy. "He has never shown any interest in anyone. He has kept himself away from everybody, surrounding his heart with barriers of ice, refusing to open up to anyone except his relatives. I'm lucky that he has accepted me as a friend. I don't want to risk this by revealing my true feelings." Sakuragi sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly. He wanted to help Minami and Rukawa. Despite their arguments and quarrels, he and the raven-haired boy were close friends. And it annoyed Sakuragi to see his friend isolating himself from the others, living in a world of his own, surrounded only by the memories of his dead parents.

"Hey Minami, I have an idea." Minami looked at Sakuragi expectantly as the latter continued, "Why don't you tell Micchy about your feelings towards his cousin? He's your best friend and I'm sure he'll be glad to help you win Kaede's heart." Sakuragi winked.

"No, Sakuragi." Minami shook his head, "I won't talk to Hisashi about Rukawa."

"Why not? At least he won't try to strangle you to death as that Gori did when he caught me kissing his sister."

Minami chuckled, remembering the day when Akagi tried to strangle Sakuragi to death after seeing him kissing his sister Haruko under a tree. It took so many men to separate the angry guy from the younger one.

Minami smiled sadly, if his case were that simple, he wouldn't be facing this dilemma now. But his problem wasn't that simple. His problem was that the boy he loved had isolated himself from everyone, preferring to live in the shadow of his past and memories. Minami sighed deeply.

"I still think that you must tell Micchy." Sakuragi shook his head.

"Tell me what?" Mitsui's voice came from behind, startling the two. They looked at the scarred boy, and Minami wondered for how long Mitsui had listened to their conversation.

"Micchy," Sakuragi glared at the older boy, "Don't you ever do that again! I hate being startled that way."

Mitsui snorted, raising an indifferent eyebrow. "It's not my fault that you've been off-guard, redhead monkey."

"Why you!" Sakuragi's face became redder than his hair, "Whom you're calling redhead monkey, scarred face?"

Mitsui rolled his eyes in clear annoyance; he would had loved to give that redheaded a small lesson about respecting his elders, but he reminded himself not to lose his self-control and do something foolish again. He shook his head, folding his hands in front of his chest. "Why don't you raise your voice a little bit more?" he snorted. "I'm sure that there are some guards who haven't heard you yet."

Sakuragi glared at Mitsui angrily, wishing if he could give the latter a hard punch on his face. But Mitsui had a point, if the guards caught them not working, they would all be in great trouble.

"You win this time, Micchy." He waved a warning finger in front of Mitsui. "But this isn't over between us yet."

"Whatever." Mitsui shrugged, turning to Minami. "So, what you were going to tell me Tsuyoshi?"

Minami gulped, not knowing what to say. He looked at Sakuragi for help, but the younger boy only grinned back, pretending not to notice.

"I—I was—" Minami started, trying to think of something. "I was going to ask about Rukawa. Is he alright after yesterday?" the words came out of his mouth in slow, hesitant pieces.

Mitsui raised an eyebrow. "He's alright. Can't you see him by yourself?"

"Of course, he can." Sakuragi slapped Mitsui's back playfully. "But he was worried because of Kitsune's heart, besides, he seemed to be in a bad mood today." Minami glared at his redheaded friend.

"His heart is fine. Kimi's medicine was very effective. As for Kaede's bad mood, I don't blame him for that." Mitsui sighed. "He got a harsh lecture from father this morning. And not only this, he also discovered that his pendant is missing."

"The light of Hera?" Minami asked. "Where could he have lost it?"

"I don't know." Mitsui shook his head, "It must have fallen somewhere on our way to the camps yesterday. I'm sure that I saw it around his neck yesterday, when I laid him near the rock."

"Don't worry, Hisashi." Minami assured. "I'll tell the boys to search for it on our way back to the camps."

"Thank you, Tsuyoshi."

"Yo, boys," Sakuragi whispered. "I hate to interrupt this warm display of friendship, but I think that Fukuda has his eyes on us."

The three looked up and sure enough, Fukuda was watching the trio with observant eyes.

"Time to go back to work then." Mitsui whispered. "See you tonight at midnight in the usual place, ok?"

"New operation?" Minami asked.

"Maybe." With that, Mitsui walked away. Sakuragi and Minami exchanged knowing looks before returning to work.

Ayako was on her way back after emptying a basket full of small crystals stones in a nearby cart, when two strong arms pulled her to a hidden corner behind a large crystal rock.

She tried to scream for help, but she was silenced by a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Hi, beautiful." a familiar voice whispered. "I've missed you."

Ayako shoved the young man away from her and glared at him angrily. The guy grinned sheepily at Ayako's death glare and gave her the most angelic face he could muster.

"Didn't you miss me, dear?" he asked innocently. "We haven't seen each for quite some time."

"No, I didn't." Ayako scowled. "And I wouldn't care even if you left and didn't come back."

"Oh, really!" he raised an eyebrow, teasingly. "Look into my eyes and tell me that you hate me and you never want to see my face again, then."

Ayako looked deeply into man's brown eyes and smiled brightly. She could never be mad at her fiancé for long, no matter how mad she was.

"I can't." She raised one hand and ran it through his hair, "Because I love you more than anything in this world. And I can't live without you, Maki Shinichi."

Maki smiled and pulled her closer into a light embrace. "I love you too, sweetheart." He leaned forwards until their lips met into deep kiss.

"Where have you been, Shin?" Ayako whispered in his lips, "No one has seen you for a whole week."

"I was arrested." Maki pulled away from the kiss. "They had pulled me from my bed during the night."

Ayako gasped, terror was clear in her blue eyes.

"Don't worry, love." Maki smiled reassuring, "I'm alright…as you can see."

"Oh, Shin!" Ayako buried her face in Maki's strong chest; tears were falling silently from her eyes. "I'm afraid…I'm so afraid of losing the ones I love. I was worried when I hadn't seen you for so long. What if you didn't return? What if you died under the torture? Shin, I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose anyone I love and care for."

Maki buried his face in Ayako's curly hair, smelling her beautiful scent. They two stayed like that for a few minutes before Maki pulled away and looked deeply into Ayako's blue eyes.

"I'll always come back to you, Aya," he whispered, wiping her tears with his thumb. "No one can take me from you or make me forget your lovely face."

"Shin, be careful please." She ran her hand along his face. "The path that you and my brother are taking is too dangerous. I don't want either of you to face uncle Kanojo's fate."

"Your uncle was a hero, Ayako. The path we are taking is the only way to make his sacrifice worthwhile, to make his dream come true and grant our people freedom."

"You talk like my father and Hisashi." Ayako looked away sadly. She knew that what Maki said was true, but she was afraid of losing her beloved.

Maki turned her face towards him, meeting her eyes with his. "I know that your mind agrees with every word I say, but this is afraid of losing its beloveds." He placed his hand above her heart. "Let it know that no matter what happens to me, I'll always be inside it, giving it the love I've always felt." Ayako nodded silently, her tears falling slowly down her cheeks.

"I have to go now before I'm missed." Maki brushed lips with her briefly. "Tell your brother I'll be waiting for him at the usual place tonight." With that, Maki disappeared into the darkness.

"And I'll be waiting for this endless war to end. And only the gods know whom I'm going to lose in it," she whispered to herself before she left too.

Meanwhile, Sendoh, Koshino and Aida spent the day sitting on the floor in Sendoh's chambers surrounded by history books and old documents and reading about Emperor Sendoh Yoshiakira, trying to find out more about him. The three boys discovered that the non-winged were free once but had been enslaved because of a civil war between the winged and non-winged people; however, none of the books they had read gave a clear reason for that war.

Koshino sighed as he threw the book in his hand away. He looked at his two companions with a bored expression.

"This is useless, you know." He said finally. "We have read many books but all gave the same result. There is no mention for why a war started between the two people. I think we're wasting our time. And we still can't find that mysterious Crest."

"It wasn't totally a waste of time, Hiro." Akira said, placing a book nearby. "At least we know how the non-winged were free once and were enslaved after a civil war. We just have to know why the war started."

"That's strange." Aida said softly as he studied a document in front of him, completely oblivious to the other boys.

"What's strange?" Sendoh asked as he and Koshino moved closer to Aida.

"Emperor Sendoh Yoshiakira was the first Sendoh to rule Kanagawa." Aida said. "Before him, Kanagawa was ruled by someone called Suishou Kakou."

"And your point is?" Koshino asked.

"Emperor Sendoh Yoshiakira was a nobleman in his predecessor's court. He was chosen as an emperor to Kanagawa because Emperor Suishou hadn't had an heir to the throne and the Sendoh was related to the Emperor." Aida said. "My documents state that the former Emperor had died under strange circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"I don't know." Aida replied. "The documents don't show. After that, Sendoh Yoshiakira claimed the throne and the war broke out."

"Could the death of Suishou Kakou and the war after it be related with the enslavement of the wingless people?"

"It's possible that they could have murdered the Emperor and tried to rebel against Sendoh." Koshino suggested.

"But, enslaving an entire race because of that? No, that doesn't explain it." Sendoh said.

The three boys sat in complete silence, trying to find a convincing answer but with no success. Finally, Sendoh stood up and walked towards the doors.

"Where are you going, Akira?" Koshino asked as he and Aida stood up as well.

"I need some fresh air." The young Prince said, running a hand through his hair. "I'll have a walk in the gardens."

"Want me to accompany you?" Koshino asked in concern.

"No need." Sendoh said quietly. "I'll be fine. I just need some time on my own." With that, he left the room.

Sendoh walked through the rows of roses in the large gardens of the palace, lost in thought. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to know the truth. Why was it important for him to know about what happened in the past?

Is it because he wanted to know why should he hate the slaves?

Or is it because he didn't approve of his people's treatment of the slaves and wanted to free them or at least treat them better?

Sendoh sighed and looked up at the horizon. The sky was painted with beautiful shades of red and orange. And the sun was ready to give her place to the moon.

"Goddess Athena," he whispered softly to the sky. "I am at a loss. I feel as if my perfect world has shattered, without any clear reason whatsoever. I want to understand the truth. I want to know the reason of this destroying hatred that suddenly fills the air around me. I voice so many questions, yet the answers are not to be found. Please, Athena, help me. Guide me with your righteous wisdom onto the right path." Tears silently fell down Sendoh's cheeks as he bowed his head to the setting sun in complete surrender.

Suddenly, a bright white light shone from the point where the rays of the sun met with the top of the far mountains. Sendoh looked up and gasped in awe and shock.

There in front of him stood a woman, holding a spear, in golden battle armor, her golden helmet pushed back to reveal her elegant beauty, bathed in white light…It was Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.

"My Goddess!" He exclaimed, dropping to his knees and bowing his head.

"I came to answer thy plea, my young Prince." Athena said in a kind tone. "What is troubling thy heart?"

Sendoh looked up, meeting Athena's kind brown eyes with his sad blue ones.

"The truth, my Goddess," he whispered, "I yearn for the truth."

Athena smiled warmly at the Prince. "Everyone is searching for the truth, young one. But which truth do you seek? The truth that your people want you to believe or the truth about mortals' envy and darkness!"

"What do you mean, my Lady?" Sendoh asked in confusion.

Athena sighed deeply. "Thou are not yet prepared to gaze into the past, let alone face it." She said quietly. "But, thy heart is pure, and for that I will help you and guide your troubled heart to see the light of truth." She walked to the kneeling Prince and offered her hand.

Taking the Goddess' hand, Sendoh stood up and bowed his head. "I shall be forever in debt of your wisdom and kindness, my lady."

Athena smiled warmly. "The answers that thou seek shall not be found here, my child. If it is the truthful answers you seek; thou shall look where thou started." She said, turning her head and looking at the Crystal Mountain.

"With the slaves?" Sendoh asked in confusion, following her gaze.

"Yes, child." She said. "Thou must start searching for the answers among them; precisely where thou came across this." She said, placing her hand above Sendoh's chest then above his pocket where the two pendants were.

Sendoh took out the one in his pocket and stared at it. "Where I came across this…" He repeated softly. "The answers I seek are among them, with that boy. But My Lady-" Sendoh looked up at Athena but the fair Goddess was nowhere to be found. He looked around but there wasn't any trace of her. He looked back at the pendant and formed this resolution: he would stop at nothing to get his answers, no matter what happened. With a determined look, Sendoh headed back to the palace.

Rukawa entered the cottage quietly, closing the door behind him. He crossed the space to his and his cousin bedroom silently. It was three hours after midnight and Rukawa knew that if his uncle caught him returning from outside this hour, nothing would save him from his wrath. His uncle would never lay a hand on him, but one glare from the old man's eyes could send shivers down Rukawa's spine.

Rukawa sighed as he opened the door bedroom carefully. Looking at his cousin's bed, he saw that Hisashi was out of his bed as well.

/Probably another resistance meeting. / Rukawa mused as he changed his clothes and lay on his bed. He was so tired after the long day's work in the mines, and all he wanted to do was sleep…but even this small pleasure was denied him, his mind too full with the happenings of the day to allow him to rest.

Unconsciously, his hand stretched upwards, looking for the light of Hera.

/SHIT/ his mind yelled as he remembered that he had lost his pendant the other day. He sighed deeply, wondering why he had to endure all of this. For long time, he had been living in a small world that consisted only of his relatives and his memories. He had been living on the edge of life, ever since he had seen his father executed.

Rukawa turned to one side, trying to push those memories away. He knew that pondering would not change anything. It would not bring his parents back to life again.

Rukawa stared at the emptiness, thinking. After his father's death, his people had looked to him to lead the secret resistance movement. But, he was only five-year-old kid, barely able to pronounce his name at that time, and with diseased heart, he wasn't fit to lead a group of rebels…

So Kanojo's brother-in-law and second-in-command, Mitsui Kouyou had taken the responsibility of leading the resistance and raising him up. Now, the leadership had passed to his son Hisashi. Rukawa wanted to badly to take part of the resistance…to be part of his father's dream and liberate his people from slavery. But his uncle refused to involve him in this.

Rukawa shifted to the other side, in an attempt to push his thoughts away.

He knew that his uncle was worried about him because of his illness. And he knew that his illness wouldn't allow him to have a big role in the resistance. Yet, he longed to be part of it.

Nevertheless, He was lucky to be alive until now, considering the conditions he's living through,.

He often wondered when his heart would give up fighting and simply stop beating. Up to now, Kogure's medications and his family's care had kept him alive, but until when? He wondered.

He wondered if his heart wouldn't allow him to have someone close to it one day…

The sound of the door opening snapped Rukawa from his thoughts. He lifted his head slightly to see Mitsui sneaking into the room.

"You're late." Rukawa stated coldly.

"So?" Mitsui said, raising an eyebrow. "I was at a meeting. It took time."

The older boy walked to the cabinet and changed into his sleeping robes.

Rukawa watched his cousin suspiciously as the latter changed. He raised an eyebrow when he saw two red marks at the base of the other boy's neck. Rukawa smirked devilishly.

"It must have been an eventful meeting." The raven-haired boy said.

"Yes, it was." Mitsui said indifferently, lying on his bed. "Maki and Ikegami are back. They were arrested last week for information."

"I see," Rukawa answered, staring at the ceiling. "And they must have given you a sample of what they endured during their imprisonment."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mitsui asked sleepily.

"I'm talking about those two love-bites at the base of your neck." Rukawa said, coolly, with a smirk. "Maki must have been very rough. I wonder what Ayako would say if she knew that, her boyfriend screwing her brother. Or maybe it was Ikegami?"

"Shit!" Mitsui jerked up from his position and ran towards the bathroom to see for himself. Rukawa's smirk widened and he sat up on his bed upon hearing another curse coming from the bathroom.

Mitsui came out of the bathroom, rubbing the base of his neck roughly.

"Do'aho, you can't make them go away by rubbing them." Rukawa said, shaking his head. "The marks will become bigger and uncle Kouyou will surely notice."

"Damn!" Mitsui exclaimed, throwing himself onto the bed again. "I didn't notice those marks. I should have been more careful."

Rukawa sighed deeply, lying back on his bed. "I would never understand you. Can't you keep your hands off him whenever you are in the same place? Sometimes I really pity Kogure for having a big pervert like you for a lover. Don't you do anything but screwing like rabbits all the time?"

"What a nice expression, Kaede." Mitsui said dryly. "You seem to have been spending lot of time with father lately, you sound just like him. But for your information, I'm not a pervert and I can keep my hands off Kimi. But, we love each other and I can't see why we can't spend time with each other. We know how to control our feelings. Just that we are in a resistance group doesn't mean that we should ignore our own feelings…unlike someone I know."

"Whatever." Rukawa said indifferently, rolling over to face the wall. "Do whatever you please, **Micchy**." with that, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Mitsui sighed as he started at Rukawa's back, before closing his eyes as well.

**T.B.C.**


	4. Chapter Three

Destiny

Author: HanaHeart

Beta: Mikawa

Fic Information & Disclaimer: See the Prologue

A/N: Fujima fans don't kill me, please 66

**Chapter: Three**

Next day…

**Sendoh sighed as he watched the slaves from behind a crystal, searching for the raven-haired youth he was seeking. He had been searching for the young boy for two hours without any sign of him.**

Sendoh took out the pendant from his pocket and looked at it. The memory of its owner's blue eyes gazing at him unfocusedly brought a soft smile to Sendoh's lips. Those dark-blue eyes had haunted his dreams ever since the day he saw them.

Sendoh shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He didn't have time to dwell on such thoughts. He had to find the boy as quickly as possible, before the time came for the slaves to return to the camps, or he would never be able to find him. But the mine was very big and he could not remember the exact place where he had seen the boy the last time.

The searching would be easier if Koshino or Aida was with him, but the two simply refused to join him. Koshino had a fit upon hearing his intentions to return and search for that boy. His loyal friend and servant had burst with rage and nearly strangled him. While Aida looked like he was at the verge of throwing up at the mere mention of the mine, though, he agreed to teach him the password to open the locks.

Sendoh sighed deeply, not really blaming his two friends. No one would like to return here after witnessing what happened. But Sendoh had a mission and he must complete it.

Taking another deep breath, Sendoh continued his search, walking along the ditch and peeking from time to time at the slaves.

Suddenly, he saw a group of guards ahead gathered around a slave. Carefully, he neared the group, trying to not to be seen. He saw a huge bald guard with other three guards forming a circle around a young slave with short brown hair and soft features lying on the ground.

Sendoh blinked several times, staring at the bruised face of the young man. Somehow, those child-like features looked familiar to his eyes despite the wounds and bruises on them. He was sure that he had seen that face somewhere.

Suddenly, the bald guard, whom Sendoh heard the other guards referred to as Murasame, jerked the head of the man up by pulling his brown locks. The slave yelled in the middle of the guards' laughter, reaching one hand weakly up to Murasame's clenched fist on his hair.

Sendoh widened his eyes in horror as he got a clear view of the youth's face. His heart almost stopped as his memory took him back two years ago.

_FLASHBACK_

_Sendoh yawned in complete boredom as he watched some Lords and Ladies of his father's court dance and laugh in the center of the ballroom. A great ball was being held in the Imperial_ _Palace, to celebrate the start of the spring season. But Sendoh hated attending such parties where false smiles, fake feelings, drunken people and boring conversations were the main events. _

_There was nothing interesting in them…_

_Suddenly, Sendoh's eyes caught the sight of Lord Hanagata Toru, Lord of Shoyo_ _County, talking to another short man with short flax-brown hair styled in a clean cut that fell over his sky-blue eyes. Sendoh's eyes studied the young man carefully, noticing the thin pink lips set in a soft smile, the delicate child-like features and the lean yet muscular body. _

_Sendoh raised an eyebrow at the pair. They seemed to be engaged in a very happy conversation, barely noticing their surroundings._

"_Hiro," he spoke to the boy, standing next to him; his eyes not leaving the other pair. "Who's the young man Lord Hanagata is talking to?"_

"_Aida said his name is Fujima Kenji." Koshino answered with a smirk. "He's Lord Hanagata's personal adviser and—" coughing discreetly, "—his official lover."_

"_Interesting!"_ _Sendoh said. "Why haven't we seen him before?"_

"_He has never come to the capital before." Koshino said, handing Sendoh a glass of red wine. "This is his first trip outside Shoyo, I believe."_

"_I think Lord Hanagata is afraid to lose his lover," Sendoh said with a snigger. "Very thoughtful of him, I would say."_

"_Why?" Koshino asked playfully. "Are you thinking of stealing his lover, your highness?"_

"_Me? No way!" Sendoh said, taking a sip from his drink. "Lord Hanagata is one man I don't want to cross blades with." The two friends chuckled cheerfully._

"_Come," Sendoh said, rising from his seat. "Let's go and talk to the couple of the year…" With a snigger, Koshino followed his Prince to where the Lord of Shoyo and his lover were standing._

"_Lord Hanagata," Sendoh said, nodding in greeting. "It has been too long since we last saw you here."_

"_Prince Akira," Hanagata greeted quietly bowing. "Yes, it has been a long time. Shoyo is taking all of my time."_

"_My Lord," Fujima greeted in a low voice, bowing. "It's an honor to finally meet you."_

"_Your Highness," Hanagata said. "This is the head of my advisers, Lord Fujima Kenji."_

"_Pleasure to meet you, Lord Fujima."_ _Sendoh said with a smile. "And this is my companion Koshino Hiroaki." He said, gesturing to Koshino who was standing beside him. The two boys nodded to each other in greeting._

_Soon the four were engaged in a conversation about various things. Fujima was a good conversational partner with a great deal knowledge of different things in life, coupled with a gentle and polite personality. Sendoh was glad to gain such a unique and gentle friend._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

Cold sweat trickled down Sendoh's forehead.

That man was Fujima…

Lord Fujima Kenji…

Lord Hanagata's adviser and lover…

After the party that night, Fujima went missing. They woke up the day after the party to find the Shoyo adviser had disappeared...gone without any trace along with his personal horse and belongings as well.

Lord Hanagata was very shocked and heartbroken. Different theories and rumors had spread throughout the palace and beyond trying to explain the sudden disappearance of the Shoyo Lord's lover. Koshino had even informed him that some had seen and heard Hanagata and Fujima arguing in one of the corridors after the party and assumed that the brown-haired adviser had left for Shoyo after breaking up with his Lord. But Fujima wasn't found in Shoyo either. Two years had passed and many theories and rumors had been created…

Apparently, all those theories and rumors were wrong and no one had guessed what truly happened to Fujima.

For no one had guessed that he would be among the slaves. But why is he?

Sendoh gasped in horror, realizing something even more strangely. This Fujima Kenji did not have wings!

What happened to Fujima's wings?

Where and how did they disappear?

A yell escaped from Fujima's mouth as Murasame stomped on him, sending him back to the ground. Fujima tried to get up but Murasame turned him down with his foot.

"Well, well…what do we have here?" Murasame sneered, kneeling next to Fujima; one foot still on the youth's back. "Did you miss me, swine?" Fujima just whimpered in reply. "I think you do, whore." Murasame sniggered, sliding one hand underneath Fujima's tunic.

Fujima whimpered and tried to struggle away from the hand but his captor held him firmly in place.

"Now, now, slut…" Murasame sniggered. "Why the 'hard-to-get' attitude? Anyone would think that you aren't enjoying the attention!" he smirked, removing his hand then reaching inside his tunic and taking out a dagger. "By the way, how are your wounds, slave-lover? Did they heal yet?" with that, he removed his foot from above Fujima. He tore the slave's tunic with his knife, revealing Fujima's scarred back.

The two guards then held Fujima up so that his back was facing Murasame. The semi-conscious boy let out a weak moan.

Sendoh widened his eyes as he noticed two long noticeable scares, among many others, running along Fujima's back where his wings used to be. Suddenly, the terrifying truth became clear to Sendoh. Fujima's wings had been ripped away from his body!

Torn off!

Removed forever!

Sendoh didn't want to know why or how anymore.

"Good." Murasame smirked. "They have healed nicely. I think it's time to reopen them." With that, Murasame ran his knife along the tender skin of Fujima's wounds, drawing a horrible howl of pain from the young man.

Sendoh's blood froze in horror. He watched, terrified as the streams of blood ran along Fujima's back, staining his lower clothes.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, MURASAME!" a loud growl was heard throughout the whole cave. The guards froze in their places, dropping a nearly dead Fujima on the ground.

Sendoh forced his eyes to look away from Fujima towards the source of the shout.

A bulky giant man was making his way through the crowded slaves. His face was extremely threatening with his straight, thick eyebrows set in a frown and thick lips set into a straight line. He was wearing a dark blue tunic under a silver chest plate, leg armour, a leather black strip skirt -- a typical mine guards' uniform -- plus a waist-long black cape and a silver helmet on his head.

Sendoh stared in awe at the huge man as he neared the guards.

"Captain Uozumi," Murasame said, bowing his head politely.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself, Murasame?" Uozumi asked firmly. "I've ordered you not to lay a hand on him unless it was absolutely necessary. This the fourth time this week you disobeyed my orders."

/The fourth this week/ Sendoh thought in horror, staring at the motionless body between the guards' legs.

"I'm warning you, Murasame." Uozumi growled. "If this happens again, I will not overlook it."

"I'm sorry, captain," Murasame said, obviously not regretting it in the least. "It won't happen again."

Uozumi narrowed his eyes, staring deeply into Murasame's eyes. "You better keep that in mind, Murasame!" With that, Uozumi glanced at Fujima's motionless form before snorting in disgust and walking away.

Murasame kicked Fujima's body with his foot before he and the other guards walked away.

As soon the guards were out of sight, several slaves gathered around Fujima and tried to lift him up. The wounded man let out an agonizing cry when his body was moved.

"Leave him." A tall, well-built and poised man, with short brown hair, hazel eyes and tanned skin, said as he made his way through the crowds of slaves to where Fujima was lying, followed by two other youths.

The slaves immediately complied and walked away, making space for the man and his friends.

"Everyone," the young man said, kneeling beside Fujima. "Back to work. We don't need another one to be beaten up to death." Again, the slaves complied without questions, leaving the brown-haired young man alone with his friends and Fujima.

"My dear goddess Hera!" Kogure exclaimed, examining Fujima's wounds. He took off his glasses, wiping the tears that gathered in his chocolate-brown eyes, before looking up at his two waiting friends.

"We must get him out of here, Maki," He said, addressing the young man. "He won't survive if he stays any longer without treatment. The healers must see him immediately." Kogure's voice was heartbreakingly pleading.

Maki nodded his head and looked up at the third man. "Ryo, go inform Mitsui. We're taking Fujima to the healers and then back to the camps."

Ryo just nodded his head before turning around and leaving.

Turning his attention to the other man, Maki said, "Come on, Kogure. Help me to lift him up." Kogure nodded and the two gently swung each of Fujima's arms around their necks and lifted him, while holding his belt to support his body. Fujima let out a soft moan.

"It's alright, Fujima." Maki said in a kind tone, steadying Fujima's body while being careful not to touch his wounds. "We're going to get you out of here."

Sendoh sat on the ground thinking of what had happened in front of his eyes. He was still shocked to find Fujima here in all of the places…and without wings…

What happened to Shoyo's adviser? And why his wings were ripped off?

/What is going around me/ he asked himself. Many questions formed in his mind but there weren't any answers. Sendoh sighed, wiping the sweat off his face. He came here looking for answers yet all he gained was more questions!

Sendoh shook his head. This wasn't getting him anywhere. Sitting here would only increase his confusion. He had to find that slave now. He had to find some answers to his questions.

Finally, he stood up and continued his way along the path. Lost completely in his thoughts; Sendoh wasn't focusing on his way. Suddenly, he tripped over something hard and fell, hitting the ground with a pained grunt. Upon sitting up dazedly, a painful blow made contact with his face.

"No one disturbs my sleep," a dangerously quiet voice said in annoyance.

When Sendoh looked up, his eyes met with the most beautiful blue orbs he had ever seen. His heart raced as he stared directly at the face of the youth he was seeking.

The two stared at each other quietly for a while.

"You're not a guard." Rukawa whispered softly.

"No, I'm not." Sendoh replied softly, still enchanted with the boy's beauty. The two sat in silence again, neither knowing what to say.

Rukawa stared at the crystal ground, wondering what had come over him. Questions of who the boy was and how he got in ran through his mind. He wasn't a guard, which means that he wasn't supposed to be here. The mines and the camps were forbidden places to the winged people unless they were guards.

"What are you doing here?" the two of them asked in union. Both of them stared at each other again.

"Sleeping." Rukawa finally replied.

"I came looking for you." Sendoh said.

"Looking for Me? Why?"

"I was hoping that you would tell me about this." With that, Sendoh revealed his pendant.

"That is mine." Rukawa exclaimed, reaching his hand up to take the pendant off Sendoh's neck but Sendoh quickly moved away from Rukawa's reach.

"Give it back." Rukawa said firmly.

"I'm sorry but you are mistaken." Sendoh said. "This pendant is mine. My mother gave it to me on my birthday. This one is yours." He took out the identical pendant from his pocket and offered it to Rukawa.

Rukawa took the pendant and examined its back. Seeing the crest carved into it, Rukawa nodded. "Yes, this is mine. But where did you find it?"

"Well," Sendoh said in embarrassment. "I took it from you."

"Huh?"

"Well, I was told that my pendant was one of a kind. So I was surprised the other day when I saw you wearing an identical one. I was curious so I took it to have a closer look. I'm sorry about that."

"I see." Rukawa said solemnly, thinking of something his uncle told him once about the pendant.

"You don't seem surprised to know that they were two of this pendant." Sendoh said. "Did you know that they were two of them?"

Rukawa was about to reply when suddenly a shadow fell on them. The two looked up and saw another boy with bright red hair leaning on the huge crystal rock that they were hiding behind it, showing them his back.

"Hey, Kitsune," the boy said in a hushed voice. "Are you still sleeping? Wake up now. I think Fukuda is starting to notice your absence."

"Do'aho," Rukawa replied in annoyance.

"Temee! You ungrateful fox!" the redhead growled. "I don't know why I even bother! It's all that Miccy's fault!" the boy left still mumbling to himself.

Rukawa sighed deeply before standing up.

"Hey wait,"

He looked behind in surprise. He had totally forgotten about other boy.

"I must go." Rukawa said simply.

"I have to see you again. You must tell me everything you know about our pendants."

Rukawa eyed the winged youth with suspicious. He knows that he shouldn't trust that stranger. He knows that he shouldn't see him or talk to him ever again…but, something in his heart told him otherwise. Something in his heart wanted to see that stranger again and talk to him more…and something in his memory told him that they had been close to each other once.

"Kitsune, come out!" Sakuragi's hissing voice from behind the rock snapped Rukawa to reality.

"Please." Sendoh said softly. "I want to see you again…tonight."

"North of the camps," Rukawa whispered softly. "Near the ruins of Hera's Temple, around midnight." With that, Rukawa left in a hurry.

Sendoh smiled warmly before leaving as well.

From the shadows, a small boy with golden hair and clear blue eyes smiled to himself as he hung his bow on his shoulder. Just one more step and the lives of the two boys would be forever bound.

Night had fallen swiftly on the land of Kanagawa that day, much to Sendoh's delight. He didn't know why exactly, but Sendoh found himself looking forward to his meeting with that slave. He wanted to see him, not because of the pendant, but for the mere sight of him, Sendoh realized.

So, when it was close to midnight, Sendoh flew out of his window, heading towards Shohoku Mountain where the Slaves' Camps were located.

Landing on a tree next to the camps' walls, Sendoh observed his surroundings. He looked around, trying to find a spot where he could fly into the camps without being spotted by the guards. He waited patiently until the guards cleared the area before him and went somewhere else, and then he quickly dashed, flying over the high wall. Sendoh landed on the ground then dashed behind the first tree he saw and hid behind it.

He waited a little then covered his wings with a black cloak, before peeking from behind the tree. He had landed in an empty area of the camps. There were some cottages around but they were far enough so that inhabitants would not see him. Sendoh took a deep breath as he gazed around him, trying to locate the ruins of Hera's Temple. Seeing nothing that might guide him, Sendoh decided to test his luck. He took another deep breath before turning around and walking away into the darkness, away from the direction of the slaves' cottages. Suddenly, his eyes caught a glimpse of small sparks coming from the right side. Curiously, he followed the sparks until he came to some ruins. He approached them slowly until he was standing in front of the entrance of the ruined temple. A gasp of amazement escaped his mouth when he saw the exact carving of Hera and Eros upon the entrance.

"You're here." Sendoh startled at the sudden voice and quickly looked behind him, reaching for the dagger that was hidden between the folds of his clothes. But upon seeing the newcomer, he relaxed.

"Yes, I am." He said, smiling nervously at Rukawa.

Rukawa stared at him then looked away. "I didn't think you would come."

"I told you." Sendoh said. "I want to know more about the pendant. You didn't seem surprised to know that there were two of them, which suggests that you knew about it and know story behind their existence."

"Why do you want to know about it?" Rukawa asked, sitting on one of the scattered stones.

"I'm curious," Sendoh said. "Since I was told that my pendant was one of a kind."

"Where did you get it?"

"It's an heirloom." Sendoh said, sitting on a nearby stone. "Where did you get yours?"

"The same…" Rukawa replied. Then the two sat in silence for a while until Sendoh spoke again.

"You haven't told me your name," he said, looking at the youth next to him.

"You haven't told me yours either." Rukawa responded, eyeing Sendoh suspiciously.

Sendoh laughed softly before saying. "Alright!" he chuckled. "I'll tell you my name then you have to tell me yours. After that, you're going to tell everything you know about the pendant. Agreed?"

But Rukawa didn't reply; he merely looked up to the sky.

Sendoh sighed deeply. He knew that he couldn't tell a slave his real name. Heavens know what would happen to him if anyone knew that he was the Crown Prince. Thus, a lie was in order.

"My name is Akira. Sonoda Akira." Sendoh said.

"Sonoda?" Rukawa asked, looking at Sendoh in surprise. "Are you sure it's Sonoda?" Somehow, the sound of the name didn't feel right in Rukawa's ears. It was as if he was expecting something else.

"Of course, it is." Sendoh said. "Do you think I don't know my family's name?"

"No. it's not that." Rukawa said. "It's just……." He let his voice trailed off, not really knowing how to describe it.

"So what's your name?" Sendoh asked after a moment of silence.

"Rukawa Kaede." Rukawa replied.

Sendoh felt his heartbeat racing upon hearing the name. He doesn't know why but the name sounded so familiar to his ears. Of course, he might have heard it when he went to the mine with Koshino and Aida but this wasn't the case. He felt as if the name actually meant something to him…something important.

The two sat in silence for a while, each lost in his thoughts.

"So," Sendoh said suddenly. "What do you know about the pendants?"

"Nothing much." Rukawa replied. "All I know that they were made as token of love between a winged person and a wingless." He took his pendant off his neck and looked at Hera's smiling face. "Rumors say that they used to meet here in Hera's temple, thus, the wingless carved the symbol of Hera's love, which is on the entrance of the temple, onto the pendants."

"You mean that a wingless made them?"

"Yes." Rukawa said. "And on the other side, the crests of their two families were carved."

"Are you saying?" Sendoh gasped in shock.

"Yes." Rukawa said. "The crest on my pendant belongs to my family, when the wingless were free and shared Kanagawa with the winged people. And the crest on your pendant belongs to your family, but surely, you already know that."

"Yes." Sendoh said, thinking of what he heard. His ancestor was in love with a wingless person. But what that has to do with the war? Why he would enslave the race of his beloved one? And what about Rukawa? He must be a descendant of that supposed lover…but what role does that have in his search for the past?

"I guess," Sendoh said. "Then our ancestors were in love in the past."

"Yes." Rukawa said quietly. "But how that would affect our lives, I wonder." Sendoh looked surprised at Rukawa. He was about to ask what did he mean but Rukawa kept talking, more to himself than to Sendoh. "I often hear people around me talking about how love connects people even after death and how one day, love would be given another chance to grow and redeem the scars of the past. Everyone looked at me with such hope and expectation, just because I own this pendant. Everyone looks at me as if I can make miracles, just because I own this pendant. They looked at my father that way once, and to my grandfather, and to everyone of my family who owned this pendant, but as soon as they fell in love and married, people stopped looking at them that way and looked forward to the next person who would own this pendant."

Sendoh listened quietly to Rukawa, wondering what that supposed to mean. He wanted to know what the connection was between all of this. He wanted to know the connection that linked him with Rukawa, the connection that linked his ancestor with Rukawa's. He wanted to know…but how could he ask?

From above a nearby tree, Eros smiled again to himself. Now, everything was completed and the two hearts of the prince and the slave were bound forever and wheel of time shall roll again.

Two hours later…exactly at Maki's small cottage…

Maki entered the cottage, careful not to make any sound. He crossed the house soundlessly to only bedroom present and entered.

He threw a look on the young man sleeping at one corner of the room, and then sighed deeply. He approached the sleeping man and checked his temperature.

No fever…

/Good./ Maki told himself before standing up and making his way to the small bathroom attacked to the room. He picked up the bucket of water and started to clean himself. Yesterday had been a very long day for everyone. Maki felt as if he was about to drop any minute. If only he had the luxury of sleeping for the rest of the day! But that would be impossible, wouldn't it? In few hours, the guards would come to wake the slaves up and drag them to the mines…

Maki sighed deeply, thinking of the man sleeping in the next room. Fujima was at the verge of death yesterday because of that bastard Murasame. He had lost too much blood and fell under a sever fever spell. Maki and the others really thought that he wouldn't make it this time.

After drying himself with a towel, Maki wrapped it around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom. He glanced at the sleeping man before taking out a nightshirt from his cabinet. He lay on his makeshift bed and stared at the ceiling.

It had been one year and a half since Fujima was brought here. He was thrown in the central area of the camps, half dead. Bruises and cuts covered every inch of his body.

Kogure had taken care of him for a whole month before Fujima regained consciousness then for another month before he actually managed to stand on his feet. But then, people treated him with suspicion and distrust, fearing that he might be a spy. Fujima from his side kept his distance from everybody. And when Maki offered to share his cottage with him, since he hadn't a place to sleep other than the medical house, Fujima accepted the offer but reminded distant, dwelling in his own pain. As the days passed, Maki and the others started to warm up to Fujima, especially after seeing the way the guards treated him. It wasn't something anyone could fake, they just knew it. Then one by one, Fujima started to open up to them and made friends with Maki, Mitsui and some other boys.

One day, Fujima found the courage to tell Maki about himself and his life before coming here. He told him about his lover, his life as an adviser, and the reason why he was accused of treason and sent here after having his wings cut off.

Maki sighed deeply as his thoughts drifted to that subject.

It was a legend passed among the slaves that a love once existing between a winged noble and a wingless had caused the enslavement of the wingless race, and a similar love would be reason of their freedom. The Light of Hera, that carried the Rukawa's Crest on the back, was the symbol of that love.

Thus, people often looked at the Rukawa heir as their possible savior but as soon as that heir fell in love with a wingless and got married, they turned their hopes into the next generation of the Rukawa family. Naturally, the winged guards had made lot of fun out this matter, humiliating anyone of the Rukawa line in front of others.

Maki shook his head. He didn't believe a word of that crap. Instead, he pitied the Rukawas who had to suffer more just because of that stupid legend and pendant.

"Especially that unfortunate Rukawa Kaede…" Maki said to himself.

"What about Rukawa Kaede?" Maki startled upon hearing the hoarse voice. Looking to his side, he saw Fujima laying on one side and looking at him.

"Fujima!" Maki said, sitting up. "Since when were you awake? Did I wake you up? How do you feel?"

"Relax, Maki." Fujima said softly. "I was awake before you even returned. I was trying to sleep but I failed miserably. I didn't want to worry you so I pretended to be asleep."

"How do you feel now?"

Fujima sighed. "My whole body still aches and my broken pride aches more." He paused a little before saying. "Why didn't you let me die, Maki? It would've been better if I died."

"Don't be ridiculous." Maki said, laying back. "I know that you don't mean it."

"I do mean it, Maki." Fujima said. "I'm tired of all the humiliation and suffering. I'm tired of fighting back."

"First, you can't be tired of fighting back, because you aren't fighting at all. You just stand in your place and accept whatever those bastards do to you." Maki said. "Secondly, which is the important thing, we all suffer from the same humiliation, but we learned to survive it, until the day comes when we become free."

"I wish I could be that optimistic." Fujima replied. "I wish I could believe that one day, I will return to Shoyo…to Toru."

"You will." Maki said positively. "I know that you will."

"So," Fujima said, trying to change the subject. "You didn't tell me what about Rukawa Kaede?"

"Nothing really." Maki said, looking at the ceiling. "I was just thinking of the rumors that surround that kid, that's all. I just pity him for the way people always look at him. It's just a harsh thing to put such burden on a diseased boy. And why? Because he's from the Rukawa line and bears the Light of Hera! That's ridiculous."

"But the legend is true." Fujima said.

"The love story maybe true and the entire enslavement thing," Maki said. "But that doesn't mean that Kaede would actually fall in love with a winged prince and because of that, we will be freed."

"You never know." Fujima said. "Maybe that what could happen at the end!"

"Please," Maki said with a snort. "That kid bears more than he could without knowing it. His illness is a quite burden on him by itself. No, I don't believe it. If we were to be freed then it would be by our hands. We can't ask him to make miracles. It just isn't right."

"You don't want to believe it because you're worried about him…not because you find the legend ridiculous or anything." Fujima stated.

"So what if I'm worried about him?" Maki said. "Rukawa Kaede, despite his cold attitude, is dear to everyone. His father was respected and admired by everyone. We lost him at the execution stand. We don't want to lose his only child as well."

Fujima chuckled softly. "You are contradicting yourself, Maki. You and the others care for Rukawa because he's a Rukawa…because of what that line means to all the wingless people…because of that legend."

"Are you saying that I care for Kaede only because he's a Rukawa?" Maki snapped.

"Well, maybe because he's also your fiancée's cousin." Fujima said teasingly. "Nevertheless, Rukawa's part in the wheel of fate has yet to be decided. He might not be the one who will free your people and the Legend might prove be a mere myth at the end. I do pray to all the gods that this would be the case, or at least he won't turn out to be the one. As you have said, Rukawa is a diseased boy. His ailed heart would not stand to be broken."

"Broken?" Maki asked.

Fujima just smiled at his friend then shook his head. "Let's get some sleep, Maki. It's better if we just forget about this matter. As you said, it's impossible."

With that, Fujima closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep. Maki stared at his friend for a while before closing his eyes as well.

T.B.C


End file.
